Chapter 43: I Want to Learn This! (Please keep reading!)

As Zhou Jie kept watch over the pot, Auntie Zhao was free to focus entirely on hosting, while the young female workers placed their orders briskly, punctuating their requests with polite "yes, ma'ams."

"Sixty cents for a bowl of noodles? Is it really that popular?"

"They didn't even hesitate for a second."

"Can a single dish of pickles make customers that happy?"

Watching from the side, Zhou Jie was a bit dazed, feeling as though his entire perception of reality was being reshaped.

"Mmm! This braised beef with dried bamboo shoots is delicious!"

"Try my ribs, they are absolutely incredible!"

"The broth is so fresh—is it bone broth? The noodles are so chewy, too. This is the best noodles I've ever had!"

"No wonder the college students love it; they really know how to eat!"

"Setting everything else aside, that enticing aroma of beef wafting from the pot is something else entirely compared to what they make across the street."

It was clear the customers were highly satisfied, with praises ringing out from time to time.

Perhaps due to the announcement, the turnout was exceptionally high today; before long, every table had customers.

Zhou Yan had instructed that lunch and dinner could not be shared with strangers, but for breakfast noodles, communal seating was allowed.

This rule was written prominently above the menu wall.

Sharing a table for noodles was no big deal.

The relaxed attitude of the Sichuan-Chongqing people could be seen in the very arrangement of the seating.

A row of benches was lined up at the shop entrance, supplemented by small stools. Seeing a crowd of people eating noodles on benches was a scene rarely seen elsewhere.

During lunch and dinner, some customers gathered for meetings or business; if they ordered several dishes, it would be inappropriate to squeeze a stranger into their table.

Of course, if the workers chose to share a table voluntarily to split the cost of several dishes, the shop naturally wouldn't stop them.

"Sweetie, there's an empty seat here. Is it alright if this beautiful lady joins you?"

"Oh, you're too kind! If you run out of pickles, I'll add some more for you."

"Kid, come sit over here. It's just right for the four of you to share a table."

Auntie Zhao was observant and took the initiative to arrange seating so as not to make guests feel awkward. Female workers sat with female workers, male workers with male workers, and young couples could sit however they pleased—the priority was always the customers' wishes.

This significantly boosted the customers' favorability toward Auntie Zhao; even the tone of their voices softened when they addressed her.

Watching from the side, Zhou Jie nodded repeatedly, feeling both surprised and impressed.

Auntie Zhao was a notorious "shrew" in Zhou Village, nicknamed the "Invincible Iron Lady with the Iron Mouth." He never expected her to be so silver-tongued in a restaurant setting, coaxing smiles onto every customer's face and making them more than willing to part with their money.

In this era, waiters in state-run restaurants and factory canteens were often arrogant and looked down their noses at customers. You'd go out to eat only to leave feeling insulted. Even in private restaurants or stalls, service tended to be stiff and cold, as the mindset hadn't quite shifted yet.

Zhou Jie considered himself quite a smooth talker and had maintained a good relationship with regular customers. But after seeing Auntie Zhao's performance today, he felt like a mere novice.

*Auntie, I want to learn that!*

Zhou Jie was starting to figure out the secret.

The reason Zhou Yan's restaurant was doing so well—and why sixty-cent noodles were selling like hotcakes—wasn't just because the taste was excellent.

He put the customers first!

***

"Why are all the workers going to Zhou Erwa's restaurant? We sell ours for fifty cents, and they don't even ask a single question!" Wu Guihua scratched her head, looking utterly bewildered.

"Yeah? Why? What went wrong?" Zhou Liangliang was also lost.

He knew there were shortcomings on their first day of selling noodles, but these workers hadn't even given him the chance to sit down and taste them. It was completely irrational.

Back when they were at the pier, he had moved his stall next to Zhou Jie's. By being ten cents cheaper, business had been decent for the first few days, and he had even snatched quite a few customers from Zhou Jie.

This was completely different from today.

They had spent their savings on new pots, stoves, and a pile of ceramic bowls, and had bought a mountain of ingredients this morning.

The Zhou Liangliang couple was starting to panic.

***

Zhao Tieying took down the signs for "Flower Beef Noodles" and "Beef Bamboo Shoot Noodles" and moved them to the checkout area.

By the time the morning rush ended, only two portions of rib noodles remained unsold.

During the rush, Zhou Yan had cooked a bowl of rib noodles for Zhou Lihui, who ate it before heading to school at 7:30.

Thus, the shop had sold a total of 77 bowls of noodles this morning, setting a new record and hitting exactly what Zhou Yan had anticipated.

"Auntie, you're amazing," Zhou Jie said, unable to help but praise her while helping clear the bowls.

If this shop didn't have Auntie Zhao, it would truly fall apart.

"What's amazing about me? I was just shouting a few words," Zhao Tieying said, shaking her head with a smile, not feeling she had done anything special.

"Come, let's eat breakfast too." Zhou Yan brought out four bowls of noodles: two portions of braised rib noodles and two portions of freshly stir-fried double-pepper beef noodles.

"I'll have the soup noodles. I've been shouting all morning, and my throat is parched," Zhao Tieying said, taking the braised rib noodles first.

"I want to try the double-pepper beef noodles. Everyone says they're great," Zhou Jie chose the dry noodles.

Zhao Hong chose the soup noodles, leaving the remaining dry noodles for Zhou Yan.

"Whoa! These dry noodles are too fragrant! How did you make the beef so fragrant and tender? And the noodles—the texture is incredible! How can they be this chewy? This is so good!" Zhou Jie's eyes widened like copper bells, his face full of disbelief.

He had originally thought those people were being hyperbolic with their shouts and cries while eating noodles.

Now, he didn't just question them; he understood them, became one of them, and wanted to surpass them!

The amount of topping provided was incredibly generous. There was at least a *liang* (approx. 50g) of meat, with the rest being red and green peppers. With this much topping, every bite was a perfect mix of meat and noodles. The sense of satisfaction was overwhelming.

Was sixty cents a bowl expensive?

Not at all!

At this price, Zhou Yan wasn't even making half a profit. He was being incredibly conscientious.

After finishing the bowl, Zhou Jie even scraped up all the remaining peppers from the bottom, still craving more.

"So delicious. This is the best dry noodle I've ever had in my life, bar none," Zhou Jie said with absolute certainty. He then pulled out sixty cents and placed it on the table. "I'm paying too, to show my approval."

"A master doesn't take money from his apprentice," Zhou Yan smiled, pushing the money back into his pocket. "I'll probably be using more tenderloin (*diaolong*) soon. When you go home tonight, please mention it to my second uncle for me. I'll buy it at market price."

"Will do. I'll tell my old man tonight," Zhou Jie nodded. "What market price? We're family; we'll definitely give you a discount."

"I'll also tell Zhou Fei tonight and ask him to save some tenderloin for you. Just charging him the cost price is fine," Zhao Hong added, putting down her chopsticks.

"Exactly, just the cost price," Zhou Jie echoed.

"I'm running a business; I can't take advantage of you. If you don't sell it at market price, I'd rather buy it from outside," Zhou Yan said firmly. Even among brothers, accounts must be kept clear.

Of course, Old Comrade Zhou was an exception. He was his father, after all. Any "discount" on the beef would eventually find its way back to his personal savings, doubled.

Hearing him say this, Zhou Jie and Zhao Hong had no choice but to drop it.

After resting for a while following the meal, Zhao Hong and Zhao Tieying went to wash the dishes. Zhou Yan sat on a lounge chair by the door to rest while keeping an eye on the soup pot.

"That couple is going to stumble this time. They haven't sold a single bowl of noodles all morning; their faces are pitch black," Zhou Jie said, pulling up a bamboo chair to sit next to Zhou Yan, sounding somewhat gloating.

"It was expected. After the incident with Wang Laowu, the workers from the textile factory have had a bit of a shadow over their stall across the street. The noodles they make look unappealing, and their broth smells gamey. It's a miracle if they get any business," Zhou Yan laughed.

After chatting for two hours, Zhou Yan began slicing the tenderloin and tripe that would be used for the midday *Qiaojiao* beef.

"You're putting tenderloin in the *Qiaojiao* beef? Isn't the cost too high?" Zhou Jie asked, watching with surprise. He only ever added beef during holidays, adding a *liang* for an extra thirty cents.

"By slicing the beef this thin, I can get a hundred and fifty slices from one *jin*. For a hundred bowls of *Qiaojiao* beef, I'll use four *jin* of tenderloin. The cost increases by eight yuan, but each customer gets six slices of beef." Zhou Yan picked up a paper-thin slice. "Six slices make the customer feel like they're getting a generous portion, even though the actual amount of beef per bowl is only four *qian*."

"Customers nowadays are very shrewd. These six slices are the key to why this bowl can sell for sixty cents. It's important to make the customer feel they are getting good value for their money."

Zhou Jie nodded repeatedly, but looking at the beef in Zhou Yan's hand, he was still shocked. "A hundred and fifty slices from one *jin*?"

He had been slicing beef since he was a child, and he thought he was quite skilled if he could get a hundred slices from a *jin*. Zhou Yan's slices were incredibly thin, large, and perfectly uniform.

"Your knife skills are incredible. Hai-zi and I can't do that; a hundred slices is our limit," Zhou Jie shook his head, his eyes full of admiration.

"A hundred slices is fine too; just put four in," Zhou Yan smiled. Knife skills weren't something that could be improved overnight.

"Alright," Zhou Jie nodded, continuing to stare. "Is there some professional technique? I want to learn how to slice a hundred and fifty."

***

The factory canteen kitchen.

All the chefs and prep workers stood in three rows, listening to Head Chef Huang Fusheng's lecture.

"Everyone should be aware that the reputation of our canteen's stir-fry has been declining lately. Of course, the main reason is that Zhou Erwa's restaurant is causing trouble and stealing our customers."

"Director Wang has repeatedly instructed us to cook well and make good food so that our fellow workers can eat with peace of mind and satisfaction. I hope you all take this to heart."

"Don't try to be lazy with the cooking. If I find anyone putting in too much salt or making the meat dry and tough, I'll crack your skulls with my spatula!"

"Director Wang worries about this canteen every single day; he's even lost weight lately from the stress. Do you have no shame? I can't even sleep at night thinking about it!"

The others responded with occasional murmurs of agreement.

Standing outside the door, Wang Defa nodded repeatedly, a grin stretching from ear to ear. Although that bastard Huang Fusheng's cooking was mediocre, his ability to speak and handle affairs was quite decent.

"Licking the fat hook and biting the thin egg, stepping on the wormwood to show off your height," a sneer rang out from a corner. "Lost weight? He's so fat he'd get stuck in the canteen doors if he gained any more."

The kitchen fell silent instantly.